Warriors: The Separated Four-Book 1
by Goldenflame12
Summary: When Redfox and Dovefeather die in the Journey away from the Lake, four kits are left to their destinies- but is it worth the Clan leaders' efforts to keep them separated? Please review and follow!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hi Everybody! This is Goldenflame12! This is a Fanfiction that I started with my friend Flashfire11 (you can check out her stories too- she's amazing). We discontinued it for a while, and I decided to continue, so yah! **

**Both of our OCs are in this by the way: Goldenflame and Flashfire **

**DISCLAIMER: We do not own Warriors in any way, and by writing this fanfiction, we are not trying to duplicate it in any way. Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter, and since my name is not Erin Hunter, I do not own Warriors. So blah blah blah...disclaimer disclaimer...**

**Onto the story!**

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Prologue**:**

The cats were running for their lives. They were lean and mean, but they had nothing to lose. The Twolegs were destroying all they had. Their lake would have to be left behind, and they would have to find new territory. All they had left to believe in was StarClan. But, was StarClan with them? Many cats had lost faith in their warrior ancestors, something that never should have happened. In the midst of all of the turmoil, a warrior and a queen, dying from starvation, exhaustion, and sickness, who would never see their new home stumbled aside.

"Dovefeather! Who will take care of our kits? Who will feed our kits milk when you have joined StarClan?" asked the warrior, who was a ginger tom, with black paws and dark brown eyes with a bit of gold.

"Redfox."The beautiful queen meowed soothingly, setting down the kits she was carrying. "Do not worry. StarClan will not let these kits be harmed. They have a part of every Clan in them. StormClan, RainClan, FogClan, and BreezeClan. These kits have it all," rasped Dovefeather, who was a lovely tortoiseshell she-cat with vivid green eyes. She lay down on the grass, curling her body around her four mewling kits.

"We shall always be together, in StarClan, but what if these four kits get separated into Clans?" whispered Redfox, worriedly, "Besides! We are from different Clans! There may be a fight over these kits!"

"Redfox- the destiny of the kits is not in our paws. We can worry all we want, but their destiny will remain the same," meowed Dovefeather, "My energy is failing. I will join StarClan soon. Let us spend our last moments in this forest together."

The two mates touched noses, and twined their tails together as the last drop of life spilled from them. They greeted StarClan together, leaving their kits to their destiny.

While the other cats were traveling, the cry of a young animal sounded through the forest, leaving the cats shivering in fright.

"Did you hear that?" exclaimed Jaggedstar, leader of FogClan.

"Yes - it sounded like a kit!" replied Fernstar, who was leader of RainClan. Jaggedstar rolled his eyes.

"Duh!What a mouse-brain!" he muttered half to himself.

Fernstar commanded the fleeing cats to stop moving while the four leaders checked out the noise.

"It indeed was a litter of kits," meowed Miststar, leader of StormClan. Slowly, their eyes fell on the bodies of Dovefeather and Redfox.

"May StarClan light Redfox's path," meowed Fernstar sorrowfully. Redfox was from RainClan, so Fernstar had been very close to him.

"And may they light Dovefeather's path, too" meowed Ashstar, leader of BreezeClan. Dovefeather had been a valued warrior of Ashstar's Clan. The four leaders joined in burying the bodies, when a thought struck Miststar.

"Which Clan will take the kits?" she asked. Ashstar looked as if the answer was obvious.

"BreezeClan, of course! The kits belong in their mother's Clan!" he meowed fiercely, as if he was ready to fight for the kits. Fernstar frowned.

"Their mother is _dead_. If their father was still alive, then perhaps that rule would apply, but their father is dead too. RainClan and BreezeClan should each take two kits, to continue the memory of _both_ parents," she argued cleverly. Ashstar winced at the statement of Dovefeather's death.

"Well then, we shall each take two kits," he agreed. Both leaders reached down to scoop up the kits when Miststar spoke up.

"Wait! Don't you remember? Dovefeather was born in StormClan, and Redfox was born in FogClan! All Clans play a part in these kits! StarClan has chosen them for a reason! We deserve them too," she reminded Fernstar.

"Yes, she is right. It is only fair," agreed Jaggedstar. Ashstar rolled his eyes.

"Ugh! Branching from _ShadowClan_, what would you know about fairness? ShadowClan has chilled hearts! They don't care about fairness. Besides, these kits need _special _care- surely you remember their parent's old enemy?" he taunted.

"Ashstar, FogClan has warmth in their hearts." meowed Jaggedstar quietly. "We give mercy when necessary. And, about these kits, we all need kits at this dire time. All our warriors are dying, and we need more kits if we are to survive. As for the parent's enemy, they will be safer not knowing about him. In fact, we will _all _be safer if they don't know. See! StarClan doesn't approve of our quarrelling! We _all_ must take a kit," Indeed the moon had been covered for a second, because the leaders had been quarrelling like crazy. But, it seemed like the leaders had come to a grudging agreement.

"Very well. Take one kit and raise it as your own. Do not, for any reason _whatsoever_ tell them anything about their roots," instructed Ashstar. The other leaders nodded and each Clan adopted one kit for their own, and taking the fate of those special kits into their waiting paws.


	2. 1-Ivykit

**Chapter One is up! I will be posting chapter two in a minute. Please take a moment to review after reading!**

**Disclaimer disclaimer... blah blah... I don't own warriors, Erin Hunter does... blah blah...**

**Ok, Chapter One!**

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Chapter 1: Ivykit

It was a peaceful serene day, and the sky was a clear royal blue, puffy white clouds drifting lazily across the sky, as if they were in no hurry to get to their destination. The cats were sharing tongues, on the soft, lush, greeleaf grass and the sunlight filtered in between the minute trees, creating lovely pools of light. And in the midst of all the peacefulness, a hyper kit.

"Ivykit- come here right now! I haven't even groomed you! Fernstar wouldn't want a kit like you roaming around!" scolded Rabbittail, a silver-colored queen. Ivykit nodded and bounded right onto Rabbittail's flank. She swatted the kit off her and started to lick its tortoiseshell fur in smooth strokes of her tongue. "There- you look much better. And, don't go disturbing the cats while they are sharing tongues. You'll never become an apprentice if you do that!" meowed Rabbittail.

Ivykit nodded, and met up with her sister, Cherrykit, a reddish-brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes. They started playing some silly game, with each other, and Rabbittail sighed in exasperation and stalked away to the leader's den. Meanwhile, the kits were pretending that they were warriors.

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" squeaked Ivykit.

"Yes! I mean... I do!" replied Cherrykit enthusiastically.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I hereby give you your warrior name: Cherryfern! RainClan honors you as a full member!" announced Ivykit. Then, the two kits giggled and fell over each other. Rabbittail had returned to the nursery, and was discussing her problem with taking care of the kits, but Fernstar dismissed it with a flick of her tail.

"Let my kits play while they can, Rabbittail," she chuckled, "In another moon, or so, they will become apprentices, and will have no time for this fun." The two cats walked away, and started grooming each other. As soon as they left, the two kits started playing again. Ivykit touched her nose to Cherrykit's muzzle and the kits' warrior ceremony was over.

"Now, I will lead the hunting patrol to the river! Come on Ivystar! Let's go!" exclaimed Cherrykit. They both giggled and took off toward the river, near the RainClan camp.

"Oh no you don't!" meowed a fierce voice which Ivykit recognized as Indigoshade, who was a newly-made grey tabby warrior. "You two should be in the nursery!

"But... Cherryfern and I were about to go on a hunting patrol to the river!" whined Ivykit.

"Cherrykit you mean? Anyway, you two cannot go anywhere until you become apprentices! Now get back to the nursery before I tell Rabbittail," ordered Indigoshade. The two kits cast one contemptuous look at the dark brown tabby before hurrying away to meet the silver queen glaring at them. Rabbittail didn't need Indigoshade to scold the kits. She had an uncanny way of just knowing what they were up to.

"So you think you can just go to the river? Huh? You could have fallen in if Indigoshade didn't catch you! Who had that frog-brained idea?" shouted Rabbittail.

"Me. Sorry, I was just pretending," confessed Cherrykit. Ivykit looked gleeful that she wasn't in trouble.

"Well, I can't say I won't punish you... But here- just for tomorrow you will have to stay in the nursery. Okay? No going out and playing," meowed the silver she-cat. Cherrykit nodded and left. Then, Rabbittail turned on the little tortoiseshell kit. Her grey eyes were gleaming. "And you think you'll escape punishment? She was just pretending, and you decided to really go to the river? For StarClan's sake! Do you have shrimp in your brain? You will be confined to the nursery for the next three dawns! Now go! I am going to talk to Fernstar about delaying both your apprenticeships!" she screamed. Ivykit dashed back to the nursery, shocked at seeing her mother like this.

Outside, Rabbittail smirked at her triumph and took a thrush out of the fresh-kill pile. She had no intention of delaying the kits' apprenticeships. Why would she want the kits in her nursery for longer, anyway?


	3. 2-Swiftkit

**Drumroll please... Here's Chapter Two! **

**I just realized that I forgot to give y'all a list of the cats in each clan. I'm sorry... If anyone can lend any suggestions as to how to fix this issue, I'd be happy to take it into consideration. **

**Disclaimer- I am currently making a FANfiction about Warriors- therefore I am a FAN and do not own it. **

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Chapter 2: Swiftkit

"When will I be an apprentice? I wanna be an apprentice!" whined Swiftkit. Mapledrop, a golden tabby queen, had raised Swiftkit as her own, so she was his mother as far as he was concerned. Mapledrop also had two other kits with Jaggedstar: Icekit, and Cloverkit.

"In another moon, Swiftkit. You have to wait patiently," she told him soothingly. "Here- eat this rabbit. You must be hungry. You too, Icekit and you also, Cloverkit." Of course, the kits didn't object. More food was always welcome. Mapledrop's real reason for feeding the kits was to have them shut up about being apprentices. She wouldn't yell at them; they were just kits, but she couldn't stand a single more of those exceedingly high pitched noises. Unfortunately, the kits had finished eating quickly. and they were babbling on again.

"When I become an apprentice, I want Leaffall as my mentor! He is an awesome warrior! Did you see how he caught that blind vole, yesterday! It was great!" enthused Swiftkit.

"Well... I want to have Dapplepelt. She is such a cooldeputy! She gave those intruding StormClan cats the scolding of their lives! I mean- they couldn't miss the scent markers!" meowed Cloverkit. Emberkit and his younger siblings Galekit and Hazelkit wandered over.

"Are you guys talking about mentors?" Emberkit asked excitedly. "I want Pigeonfeather. She is an awesome hunter!"

"I guess," shrugged Galekit, "but Eagletalon is a wonderful warrior! He practically defeated Stormclan single-handed!"

"He did not!" argued Cloverkit,"Dapplepelt did!" Galekit and Cloverkit started arguing about which warrior did what while the other kits egged them on. Mapledrop was about to shout in exasperation, when an apprentice, Hornetpaw came up.

"Don't worry- I'll take care of the kits. You go eat something," he soothed. Mapledrop meowed gratefully and took a fat vole out of the fresh-kill pile.

Those kits! Such a paw-full! They were the most mischievous kits FogClan had seen in awhile! She loved those kits more than anything, but for once she was with them in wishing they would be apprentices soon. That way they would be out of the nursery for good! Besides, she missed being a warrior-roaming the woods on patrols, sharing tongues with the other cats, and sleeping in the warm, cozy, moss-filled den, quite unlike the stuffy nursery filled with kits crying out to their mothers, or talking cats to death.

She peered out of the thick, dew sodden bush, behind which she was eating, and was pleased to see that Hornetpaw had taught the kits a couple of battling moves. They were so immersed in getting the moves right, that they had stopped talking. Mapledrop thought that hedgehogs would fly before that happened.

"Great job, Swiftkit! You really are getting on like a real warrior!" encouraged Hornetpaw, his deep amber eyes gleaming with pride.

"Really? Does that mean that I'll be able to be made an apprentice sooner?" asked Swiftkit hopefully, his grey fur glinting in the sunlight.

"Goodness no. You're only five moons old! You'll have to wait a while before you become an apprentice. Be patient. I had a hard time waiting and now, I'll be made a warrior any day!" meowed Hornetpaw. All the kits stared at him in awe.

"Will I ever be as good as you?" murmured Icekit. Hornetpaw brushed his tail on Icekit's grey and white fur comfortingly. A purr rose out of his throat.

"Maybe as good as Hornetpaw, but never as good as me!" teased Hazelkit.

"And neither of you will be as good as me! I'll be the best warrior FogClan has ever seen!" bragged Swiftkit, his green and gold eyes glinting playfully. Suddenly a light, airy voice rang through the nursery.

"Hornetpaw! Get ready now, or you'll never get to do your apprentice exam!"

The kits started to wail loudly as Hornetpaw said bye to them.

"Coming, Daisyfern! Be there in a second!" called back Hornetpaw. He leapt out from the nursery and left Mapledrop to her kits. She had had enough of a break from them, and wanted to be next to their side once again. As usual, Swiftkit's voice rang out above the others.

"I am still gonna be the best warrior ever, with or without Hornetpaw, so there!" he shouted. Unsheathing his claws, he reared back, and swiped his claws in the air, facing a pretend warrior. Then, he lost his balance and landed face flat on the ground.

"Ow... That hurt! I think I have a scrape on my foot!" he cried. Mapledrop rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Swiftkit. Let's go see Dawnshine for some herbs. And, mind you, don't go doing that until you are an apprentice!" Mapledrop advised. Then to herself, she added, Although, I think Swiftkit will become a warrior that FogClan will be proud of.


	4. 3-Flashkit

**Chapter Three! I still have a lot of chapters to post, so I'll be posting a couple per day. This chapter is in Flashkit's POV, which reminds me- check out flashfire11's profile! She wrote this with me, and frankly, she's a better writer than me! **

**Don't forget to review and follow!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, this is a FANfiction. **

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Chapter 3: Flashkit

"Flashkit, don't attack your sister like that! You know that she isn't as strong as you!" scolded Morningmist, a white colored queen with grey patches. A ginger kitten clambered off his tortoiseshell sister.

"Well, Robinkit was asking for it when she ate my sparrow!" argued Flashkit.

"Did not!" snapped Robinkit.

"Did too!" spat Flashkit.

"Did not!" shouted Robinkit.

"Did t-"

"There are four other sparrows in the fresh kill pile. Just get one of those, for StarClan's sake!" interrupted Morningmist.

"Okay, okay. Can I at least tell Ashstar that Robinkit is a thief?" asked Flashkit innocently.

"You will tell your father no such thing! Now get out into the sunshine and help Amberpaw with her apprentice duties. You can ask Ravenkit to come with you. After all, you will be apprentices soon, thank StarClan!" meowed Morningmist, thinking about the couple minutes of peace that she had earned.

"Fine- but I am not going to take ticks off the elders, no matter what!" Flashkit decided, bounding to the back of the nursery, where Ravenkit was being washed by Willowsong.

"Wanna come help Amberpaw with me?" Flashkit asked him. "My mom's trying to get rid of me, and she said you could come if you wanted."

"Yeah, I'll come!" shouted Ravenkit enthusiastically. "Can I go, Mom?"

"Hmmm..." Willowsong eyed Flashkit critically. Flashkit put on his best innocent face.

"We won't get into any trouble - we're taking a warrior with us." He told Willowsong smoothly. Willowsong's expression cleared as she turned to Ravenkit.

"Go have fun!" Ravenkit wriggled out of his mother's grip and joined Flashkit.

"Are we really taking a warrior with us?" he whispered to Flashkit, checking to make sure his mother couldn't hear.

"Of course not." Flashkit scoffed as they scrambled out the nursery door, sticking their tongues out at Robinkit, who was being washed. "Come on Ravenkit. Race you!" The two kits bounded off towards the apprentice's den.

"Has anyone seen Amberpaw? Morningmist wanted us to help her with her apprentice duties!" meowed Ravenkit. A black apprentice with brown stripes looked up lazily.

"You must be Flashkit and Ravenkit! Amberpaw will be glad to have you as helpers. Her mentor isn't the type that goes easy, You can find her in the Training Field, That was where I saw her last. I'm Badgerpaw by the way," he informed happily.

Sure enough, Badgerpaw had been correct. The Training Field, a small patch of moorland surrounded and hidden by tall stalks of grass, was a very busy place all day. Flashkit squinted at the three apprentices who were practicing their hunter's crouch. One of them was a white tom with grey spots, the other, a tortoiseshell she cat, and the other, a brilliant amber she-cat with a white underbelly.

"That must be Amberpaw!" he whispered to Ravenkit. They hid behind a tree stump and watched the apprentices finish their training session. Once inside the camp again, the two kits confronted Amberpaw who greeted them happily and told them to bring fresh moss into the elder's den.

"The moss is in Glimmerpool's den. Just ask her for it," meowed Amberpaw. The two kits raced over, glad to have something to do and moments later, emerged with thick wads of moss in their mouths. Amberpaw lead them over to the elders den, and showed them where to replace the moss. Ravenkit spat it out in disgust.

"Ugh! Does moss always taste so bad? There is no way that I am carrying another wad of moss again!" he declared. One of the elders, Frostwing, snorted.

"Then there is no way you'll be made a warrior," she meowed. Ravenkit looked ready to swipe her face with one of his paws.

"I'll just have Flashkit carry them for me," meowed Ravenkit mischievously.

"Lazy furball," Flashkit muttered. Frostwing chuckled, and laid her moss in a more comfy position and drifted off to sleep. As if on cue, Flashkit yawned loudly.

"You know, all that moss carrying has made me tired. Let's go sleep," suggested Flashkit. Ravenkit shrugged and followed.

"Before we know it, you'll be sleeping all day when you're an apprentice!" joked Ravenkit. Flashkit snickered.

"Maybe I will," he meowed, "and you can't stop me."

The two friends padded along BreezeClan moorland to the nursery, silhouetted by the brilliant red and gold sunset.


	5. 4-Goldenkit

**And here is chapter four! (My OC) I will probably post chapters five and six today too, so expect more chapters coming up! **

**Disclaimer- I don't own warriors (must I really still say this?) **

**I don't want to keep you from the fic any longer, so I'll quit talking...**

**PS: Don't forget to review and follow!**

**Ok- I'm going to shut my mouth now.**

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Chapter 4: Goldenkit

A ray of sunshine slanted through the trees and fell onto a calico kit with vivid gold patches basking in its warmth. Purring, Goldenkit rubbed her back on the dusty ground, eyes closed...

"Goldenkit! Where did you go?!" Suddenly, the eyes shot open, revealing green irises with flecks of gold. "Goldenkit! If this is one of your little games again..." The voice was getting closer! Goldenkit sprang up and scampered behind a rhododendron bush. Peering out from the branches, she saw Snowstream, her mother (technically Miststar was her mother, but Snowstream looked after her because Miststar was too busy for kits), stride into the clearing where Goldenkit had been not so long ago. The fluffy white queen swung around, surveying the whole camp with her ice-blue eyes. While her back was turned to her, Goldenkit crept out from behind the bush and leapt, aiming for Snowstream's back. To her surprise, Snowstream whipped around and ducked, sending Goldenkit flying straight over her and crashing into the dusty ground.

"Owwww..." she whined. Her mother pounced on her playfully, and pinned her down under one paw.

"That will teach you to sneak up on your elders," she meowed sternly, but there was a merry twinkle in her eye. Goldenkit sighed.

"Please don't make me go back to the nursery," she pleaded, "The only kits that are any fun around here are Blizzardkit and Falconkit and their moms are washing them. Brackenkit, Fawnkit, and Honeykit are all really boring. They either argue... or argue. Thats all they do! And as for Brackenkit- he doesn't do anything!"

"Goldenkit, they are your siblings! Be nice!

"But they are old enough to be more... lively." she argued,

"Goldenkit, all kits have to be in the nursery. Just wait a little while longer. You, and your two friends will be apprentices soon, and then you'll be busy all day! You won't have to be bored with your siblings," meowed Snowstream. Goldenkit groaned, but followed Snowstream into the small clearing of plants where the nursery was situated. Goldenkit was met by a blast of high-pitched noise.

"Goldenkit! What took you so long? Ripplebrook finished washing us AGES ago!" shrieked Blizzardkit, her best friend.

"You don't need to make me deaf for your message to get through," retorted Goldenkit, massaging her ears, "I bet FogClan could hear your shriek as clearly as if you were only a fox-length away." Falconkit, her other best friend snorted and had to bite his tongue to prevent the flood of laughter inside him from spilling out. Blizzardkit huffed and his snow-white fur bristled in annoyance, but he got over it immediately.

"Lets go get something to eat," she suggested. Goldenkit shrugged, and walked with her best friend.

"Wait for meeee!" cried Falconkit, rushing to the two of them as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.

"Goodness! You," Goldenkit meowed, turning to Falconkit, "should have been named Loudkit. And you should have been named Squealkit."

They all giggled loudly, causing the deputy of StormClan- Lightningflash, to roll his eyes. The orange tom padded away, lashing his tail, clearly annoyed.

Once at the fresh kill pile, Blizzardkit and Falconkit started fighting over a plump mouse, so Goldenkit decided to wander around. She'd had enough of fighting in the nursery, where Fawnkit and Honeykit went head to head over things as small as who got to go out of the nursery first. Brackenkit was the quietest. Typically that would be a good thing, but Goldenkit found him exceedingly boring. The kit spent too much time thinking and not doing.

Snowstream claimed he was a genius, and that's why he didn't say much, but Goldenkit thought that a more likely explanation was that he was too stupid to string two words together. Goldenkit loved her foster mother, but sometimes she wished that Snowstream would pay attention to her for once and less to Bramblekit. In fact, she hardly left his side. But what was this? Here was Snowstream, out of the nursery, talking to Miststar behind a holly bush.

"Please, Miststar, will you make Goldenkit and her friends apprentices soon? She is driving me CRAZY! All she wants to do is run around outside all day with Blizzardkit and Falconkit. I can't control her and take care of the other three. Please, Miststar, please. Brackenkit needs help and I don't have time to give it!"

"They are a bit young to be apprentices, Snowstream." Miststar frowned. "Five moons, if I am correct."

"Yes, I know they're young," Snowstream whispered, glancing over her shoulder. "But Goldenkit, Blizzardkit, and Falconkit are ready! They are eager and ready to learn! I know I'm rushing Goldenkit, but she's getting too old, mentally, to be in the nursery." Miststar looked thoughtful.

"Snowstream, I'll think about it. I'm definitely not promising anything. StarClan has sent us rules, and it isn't up to us to question them. Especially Goldenkit-" she started.

"Especially what?" Snowstream asked curiously.

"Nothing. Nothing important, I'll think about it." Miststar repeated. As Snowstream hurried away Goldenkit couldn't help but noticing the dark look in Miststar's eyes. Whatever she was about to say, it was a closely guarded secret about her. But, at the moment Goldenkit couldn't care less.


	6. 5- Ivypaw

**Chapter cinco! (is that how you spell cinco? I don't know...) Told you I would post more chapters!**

**Must I really post any more disclaimers?**

**Here you go: Disclaimer- I don't own Warriors. **

**Nothin' else to say here except ENJOY! (and please review)**

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Chapter 5: Ivypaw

" You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, let your names be Ivypaw and Cherrypaw. Ivypaw, your mentor will be Foxtail. Cherrypaw, your mentor will be Indigoshade. I hope these mentors will pass down all they know to you," announced Fernstar, the setting sun lighting up her fur. Indigoshade had just been made a warrior about a moon ago, so he was glowing with happiness at getting an apprentice so soon. Foxtail, an auburn tabby, dipped his head warmly at Ivypaw. She'd heard a lot about him, and gave a little shiver of joy at getting such an experienced mentor.

"Indigoshade, you are ready to take on an apprentice. Foxtail- this will be your third. You have shown yourselves to be loyal and compassionate and I know you will be a great mentor to these apprentices," concluded Fernstar.

Mentor and apprentice touched noses, and Ivypaw felt as if she could run all the way to the Birch Circle and back without stopping for a breath. She would be a warrior that RainClan would be proud of; a warrior that the other Clans would envy. She would be unforgettable.

"Ivypaw! Cherrypaw! Ivypaw! Cherrypaw!" the Clan chanted. Ivypaw always dreamed of being an apprentice, but becoming one was a whole different experience to her- for the better.

"You'd think we killed a badger all by ourselves, the way they call our name," remarked Cherrypaw. Ivypaw nodded, too stunned to say anything. Then, a voice came up behind her.

"Cherrypaw, Ivypaw, I'm so proud of you! Maybe I'll finally get some peace without you two screaming behind my tail all day!" joked Rabbittail, brushing her tail softly on Ivypaw's flank proudly. Before any of the newly made apprentices could see to their mentors, Fernstar made another announcement.

"I'd like to acknowledge two more cats. Mousepaw, and Skypaw, will you please come up?" asked Fernstar. A small, pale amber tom, and a light brown tabby padded up to the clearing.

"I Fernstar, leader of RainClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Mousepaw, Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Mousepaw's voice was shaking.

"I do!" Skypaw sounded excited.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Mousepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Mousetail. StarClan honors your bravery and determination and we welcome you as a full warrior of RainClan." Fernstar rested her muzzle on Mousetail's and Mousetail licked Fernstar's shoulder. Then, Fernstar proceeded to Skypaw.

"And Skypaw. By the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Skypaw, from this moment you will be known as Skyflare. StarClan honors your intelligence and energy and we welcome you as a full warrior of RainClan." Fernstar rested her muzzle of Skyflare's and the warrior ceremony was over.

"Mousetail! Skyflare! Mousetail! Skyflare!" the Clan chanted. Ivypaw chanted one of the loudest of all. She had renewed energy from her apprentice ceremony and was in awe by the sheer importance of becoming a warrior. The cats dispersed, heading in different directions to their dens, eager for some rest while the evening patrol headed out of camp.

"Hey Ivypaw!" Cherrypaw piped up at her shoulder. "I guess we sleep in the apprentice's den now!"

"Yeah!" Ivypaw agreed. Together they trooped over to the apprentice's den, a little cave of wet, mossy rocks concealed by a tangle of bayberry bushes. Pushing the branches aside, Cherrypaw and Ivypaw padded into the dark cave. Stopping to let their eyes adjust, they took in their surroundings. Messy piles of damp moss were scattered haphazardly around the den, lining the stone walls. The dirt was well packed, and Ivypaw could tell that many paws had stood there.

"Well," began Cherrypaw, not looking particularly impressed. "I guess the apprentices are no perfectionists."

"Excuse me," came a snide voice from behind them. "You're blocking the entrance to our den." Ivypaw and Cherrypaw spun around. A light brown she-cat with darker brown stripes was standing in the doorway. A dark ginger tom and a chocolate colored tabby were squashed in behind her.

"Give them a break, Sorrelpaw," the ginger tom soothed, "They're just new apprentices."

"Whatever, Sparkpaw," Sorrelpaw snapped, "As long as they remember who's in charge here, I don't have a problem." She pushed them aside and swept off to the other side of the den. Sparkpaw rolled his blue eyes.

"This is Mudpaw," he told Ivypaw and Cherrypaw, nodding at the chocolate colored tom. "Sorry about my sister. She hates newcomers. To make up for it, we could show you around the forest tomorrow."

"Okay, "replied Ivypaw, nodding politely to them as the two toms padded away.

"Where should we sleep?" Cherrypaw asked, looking around.

"Anywhere, as long as it's not next to me," replied Sorrelpaw nastily, settling into her nest.

"Like we'd want to sleep near her," Ivypaw muttered, prodding some moss into a comfortable shape. Cherrypaw sank down next to her, yawning widely.

"Shut your mouth, you rude furball," spat Sorrelpaw, her yellow eyes gleaming.

"Hypocrite," muttered Cherrypaw, "Goodnight, Ivypaw."

"Goodnight, Cherrypaw." Purring, Ivypaw curled up, Cherrypaw's flank warm against hers, dropping off into blissful sleep with one last thought-I'm finally an apprentice. And not even Sorrelpaw could make her feel unhappy at that moment.


	7. 6- Swift paw

**Chapter six up! This is the last chapter for today. I still have a few more to post in the coming days.  
**

**Things in the story may seem slow now, but there is action and suspicion coming up in a few chapters, so hang in there!**

**Pleeeeeease review and follow! It means a lot to me!**

**Disclaimer- you know the drill...  
Ok- here it is.**

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Chapter 6: Swiftpaw

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" shrieked Swiftkit for the 1000th time in the morning, "I'm gonna be an apprentice right after hunting patrol comes back!"

"There'll be no one to witness your apprenticeship if you blow all their ears away," retorted Mapledrop, with a glint of amusement. Cloverkit laughed. Emberkit was excitedly whispering with Swiftkit about which mentor they thought they were going to get. Meanwhile, Icekit was poking his head out of the nursery into the late afternoon sunlight, and when he came back in, his grey and white patched face was lit up like the sun.

"The hunting patrol is back! We're apprentices!" he screamed.

"No you are not. You are still kits right now, as far as I care. So get your tail here right this instant," ordered Mapledrop. The kits cowered at her sternness and fell silent. Mapledrop smirked._ I should have learned to be like that long ago_ she thought.

"How long does it take for Jaggedstar to call a meeting?" whispered Swiftkit, breaking the heartbeat's moment of silence. Ironically, Jaggedstar chose that moment to climb on the Fallen Tree (it was a tree stump, which stood above the rest of the camp.)

"Cats of FogClan! Today we gather to announce three new apprentices! Icekit, Cloverkit, Emberkit, and Swiftkit. Please come forward." Emberkit and Swiftkit beamed at each other. Jaggedstar turned to Swiftkit first. "Swiftkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this moment, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Swiftpaw. I hope Bravehawk will pass down all he knows to you." Then, Jaggedstar turned to the white and brown tom. "Bravehawk, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Ashtail," Jaggedstar stopped and dipped his head to a dark brown tom with a white paw before continuing, "and you will be the mentor of Swiftpaw. I expect you to make him a great warrior of FogClan."

Swiftpaw excitedly touched noses with Bravehawk and watched his siblings and friends become apprentices. Emberpaw got Hollybright as a mentor, Cloverpaw got Flintthorn,, and Icepaw got Hornetwing, who was made a warrior just a dawn ago. Jaggedstar broke up the meeting and Emberpaw and Swiftpaw raced toward each other.

"That was exciting, wasn't it?" exclaimed Emberpaw.

"Yeah," Swiftpaw agreed. "I wonder what we're supposed to do now?"

"Emberpaw!" A tortoiseshell she-cat with white ears and paws padded up and looked at Emberpaw. "Come with me; we're going to Scarlet's Clearing to learn some battle moves with Icepaw and Tawnypaw and their mentors."

"Can Swiftpaw come?" Emberpaw asked hopefully.

"No,"replied Hollybright, "Bravehawk wants to do something different with him and they're going to the other side of FogClan territory, the marshy side. We're going to the forested side." Turning to Swiftpaw, she meowed, "Bravehawk is waiting for you by the camp entrance." Swiftpaw followed behind them until he got to Bravehawk, who greeted him with a nod.

"So Swiftpaw, are you ready to get right to work?" asked Bravehawk. Swiftpaw nodded eagerly. His energy was at its full level and he felt that he could do anything for any amount of time. He followed Bravehawk out into the damp, forest. FogClan and StormClan both lived in the forest, but FogClan were used to wet paws so they took the wet, soggy part of the forest, which bordered RainClan's stream.

"What can you smell?" asked Bravehawk patiently. Swiftpaw tasted the air. The scent of the stream was overpowering everything else, but he was determined not to disappoint Bravehawk. He cleared his mind of the stream, and tried to pick up other musky scents until...

"Garden snake!" he exclaimed. Bravehawk silenced him with a whisk of his brown tail.

"Do not shout. You will scare all the prey!" Bravehawk sniffed, "Wow that snake must be deaf! It actually stayed despite your noise."

"Can you teach me how to catch it?" asked Swiftpaw eagerly. He wanted to impress Mapledrop, and show her that he was perfectly capable of being a great warrior without falling over, as he did earlier.

"Of course. Be quiet, and watch me," meowed the brown and white tom. He dropped into a hunter's crouch and silently followed the snake which was slithering, suspecting nothing on the dead leaves. Swiftpaw watched in awe as Bravehawk blended in perfectly with the brown leaves and unsheathed his claws and with a perfectly timed swipe of his paws, killed the deaf snake.

"Wow! Is there anything I can try on?"" Swiftpaw asked. Bravehawk nodded.

"Now what can you scent?" Bravehawk's voice was muffled with the snake in his mouth.

"Um..." Swiftpaw let the damp moist air flow over his scent glands. There was the stream scent again, but under that, there was an unmistakable scent of frog. "Frog?" he asked hesitently.

"Now show me what you know. It's okay if you don't get it. This is your first time, after all," encouraged Bravehawk. Swiftpaw tasted the air again and followed the fresh frog scent. He dropped into the hunter's crouch which he had tried to copy Bravehawk's as much as possible. He crept up, ever so slowly, to the tree frog, his tail swishing in excitement. Then, as he was about to unsheathe his claws, the frog jumped. Swiftpaw reared back and stomped his foot as hard as he could on the leaves.

"Very good for your first try. Make sure you don't swish your tail. That disturbs the leaves, which is why the frog heard you and leapt away. The other problem is the annoying racket you made once the frog leapt away. You've done two things: One- you scared the frog even farther away and two- you scared away all other prey. So, instead of going and trying to scavenge for more prey, let's work on your hunter's crouch," decided Bravehawk. Swiftpaw nodded, disappointed. He would have to wait an entire dawn to impress Mapledrop.

By the end of the lesson, Swiftpaw was much better at the hunter's crouch, but he still hadn't caught anything. As he walked into the apprentice den, Cloverpaw leapt onto his face.

"Swiftpaw! Guess what! I caught a mouse today!" she shrieked happily. Swiftpaw shook her off and padded over to the fresh-kill pile, and picked up the snake that Bravehawk caught. He had eaten half of it when Mapledrop spoke. He turned around, startled. He hadn't noticed her, or even scented her! What would she say to that?

"Swiftpaw, what's wrong?" Mapledrop brushed her tail along his flank.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch any prey. I know you are proud of Cloverpaw. Ever since I let my mind get ahead of me and I fell in the nursery you thought that I wouldn't be a good warrior, and I just proved it!" Swiftpaw admitted. Mapledrop shook her head.

"Swiftpaw, I'll always be on your side. Of course I am proud of Cloverpaw, but that doesn't mean that I am disappointed in you! I know you'll be great," she soothed. Swiftpaw looked at her in surprise. He padded back to the apprentices den and went to sleep. He was full of good thoughts after the conversation with Mapledrop. His mother loved him! His belly satisfied with snake, sleep swallowed him into its dark lair.


	8. 7-Flashpaw

**Chapter seven! I still haven't gotten any reviews. *Author looks up at readers with puppy eyes*. Pwease?  
**

**Things in the story may seem slow now, but there is action and suspicion coming up in a few chapters, so hang in there!**

**Pleeeeeease review and follow!  
**

**Disclaimer- Go to the previous chapters... my laziness is taking over  
**

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Chapter 7: Flashpaw

"Ravenkit! Are you just gonna stand there like a paralyzed rabbit? Don't you know that we're becoming apprentices today?" teased Flashkit.

"I know! I just couldn't accept the news! In a few moons, we'll be warriors!" breathed the black and white kit. They both sighed- Flashkit in exasperation and Ravenkit in delight. Suddenly, two lithe figures pounced in front of them. Both kits shrieked and leapt backward. Flashkit stumbled backward and caught his tail on a clump of heather.

"Owwww!" he squealed. Ravenkit fared no better. He had snagged his pelt on a bramble thorn and was running around in circles trying to get the knot to untangle. Morningmist and Robinkit laughed.

"Are you sure you both are ready to become apprentices?" Morningmist asked playfully. Flashkit narrowed his green and gold eyes determinedly.

"Of course! What makes you think I'm not?" he replied huffily. Morningmist shrugged and started attending to their small scratches as Robinkit pranced around them gleefully, informing Ravenkit that he looked like a mouse-brain, running around like that. Flashkit stuck out his tail to Morningmist, expecting her to get all the twigs out of it. But, to his great annoyance, Morningmist shook her head.

"You're about to become apprentices! Do you think, if you get hurt, you can come running to the warriors' den to me to help you? You either deal with it yourself or go to Glimmerpool. Now give your tail a good shake and swat off all the remaining twigs with your paws," she ordered. Flashkit did as she told and immediately felt a whole lot more comfortable. Morningmist then turned to Ravenkit who hadn't given up and was still running circles.

"What in the name of StarClan are you doing? Running laps for your mentor which you don't have? Now calm down and give that knot a fierce, good lick. That should take care of it. And for goodness sakes, do it fast will you? I don't think your father will be exactly pleased if he sees you like this. Especially when you are about to become apprentices. Now finish fast and come to the Lone Tree. We won't wait forever, you know." With that, Morningmist, followed by Robinkit, hurried out of the nursery, leaving the kits to their cleaning. Ravenkit had soon finished untangling the knot the best he could. Both kits took off as fast as their small legs could carry them to the Lone Tree. Ashstar acknowledged their arrival with a brisk nod.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Lone Tree! Flashkit, Robinkit, and Ravenkit- come forth," announced Ashstar. Flashkit's heart was pounding so hard that he was surprised that nobody thought that a badger was attacking the camp. Ashstar raised his head

"Flashkit, Robinkit, and Ravenkit, you both have reached the age of six moons, and you are ready to be apprenticed. Flashkit and Ravenkit, from now on you will be known as Flashpaw and Ravenpaw. Robinkit, you will be known as Robinpaw. Ravenpaw, your mentor will be Jayfrost." At this, a stocky grey-blue tom looked up, his eyes shining, "Jayfrost, you are intelligent and brave. I know you will deliver these skills to Ravenpaw. Flashpaw, your mentor will be Dawnlight." announced Ashstar, his gaze flitting to a pure white she-cat with silver flecks on her muzzle. "Dawnlight- you have shown yourself to be kind and patient. I trust that you will bring Flashpaw to his full potential." Flashpaw felt as though he'd been voted leader by every single cat in the Clan. Ashstar continued,"Robinpaw, your mentor will be Copperfire." Ashstar indicated a ginger-red she-cat with brown paws. "Copperfire has shown herself to be determined and energetic. I am certain that you will pass down these qualities to Robinpaw." Robinpaw looked radiant.

"Flashpaw! Robinpaw! Ravenpaw! Flashpaw! Robinpaw! Ravenpaw! BreezeClan chanted. Flashpaw gazed around proudly, as the Clan gave him their full support. Ashstar beckoned forward four apprentices. "It is time for Amberpaw, Thrushpaw, Badgerpaw, and greypaw to become warriors." Ashstar announced, turning to Badgerpaw first. "Badgerpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Badgerpaw's voice shook a little as he answered.

"I do."

"Then, by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Badgerpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Badgerblaze. Starclan honors your bravery and patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of the clan." Badgerblaze's face was beaming so brightly as he licked Ashstar's shoulder Flashpaw thought it might explode. Ashstar repeated the same process with the other three apprentices, and the new apprentices chanted their names as loudly as the other Breezeclan cats. "

"Badgerblaze! Amberstripe! greymask! Thrushflight!

"Isn't this great!" meowed Ravenpaw excitedly. Flashpaw nodded, too stunned to say anything. After all the racket was over, Morningmist and Willowsong padded over to them, teary-eyed.

"I'm so proud of both of you!" she choked out to Flashpaw and Robinpaw as Willowsong nuzzled Ravenpaw, "I know you'll be great warriors!" A single tear rolled down her grey and white face. Flashpaw rolled his eyes. He has no time for sappy talk. She nuzzled both of them, successfully messing up their fur and left for a border patrol.

"Ugh. I just groomed myself!" complained Flashpaw. Ravenpaw shrugged.

"Then do it again," he stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Flashpaw shook his head.

"Do you really think that is the most important thing at the moment? I'm gonna go check out the apprentice's den. We'll be sleeping there in a couple of hours anyway. Come if you want," replied Flashpaw. Ravenpaw and Robinpaw were obviously not going to let Flashpaw go without them, and they sprang down from the soft, branch of the willow tree they were on. All three of them hunted around the camp for a while, before they found their new den. It had been a rabbit hole, but a long time ago, when BreezeClan was more experienced at digging, several apprentices had expanded the hole and put a heather bush right over it, kind of like a secret entrance. Except for the fact that the whole Clan knew about it.

Ravenpaw dashed past Flashpaw and Robinpaw into the den, unaware that it was a short, but steep drop. Flashpaw's ears pricked as Ravenpaw thudded down and wailed in pain.

"Everything alright down there?" Robinpaw called, amused. They were answered by an angry grunt and then some giggling by another apprentice. The ginger apprentice carefully placed a foot inside, making sure to latch his claws on the sides of the hole. He repeated the process until he thought he'd reached the bottom. Apparently he hadn't. Flashpaw fell for a rabbit-length before reaching the dusty bottom of the den. Licking his chest a couple of times to hide the embarrassment, he spotted Ravenpaw and two other apprentices. Robinpaw followed soon after him and paused to let her eyes adjust. Squinting in the dim light he could make out a white and brown tabby she-cat and a red tom with a huge scar running down his face and left ear.

"I'm Hazelpaw," introduced the white one shyly, "and this is Scarpaw." The tom dipped his head.

"I used to be Reedpaw, until a dog did this to me," he growled, flicking an ear at his scar. Robinpaw's eyes grew big. Flashpaw shuddered to think how much pain Scarpaw went through. Flashpaw turned to Hazelpaw instead.

"Shouldn't we be going to sleep?" he suggested. Hazelpaw shrugged and pointed to a pile of moss. Moss was not very common in the moorland, and BreezeClan preferred feathers, but being an apprentice wasn't exactly circling around comfort. Ravenpaw and Robinpaw settled down next to him, their warm flanks pressed against his. Flashpaw clawed his moss into a comfortable shape and tried to sleep. It came, fast as an eagle, taking him into it's black world.


	9. 8-Goldenpaw

**And back to Goldenkit!  
**

**I hope the story is speeding up, and it is getting interesting!  
**

**Pleeeeeease review and follow!  
**

**Disclaimer- I DON'T own Warriors. Notice how none of the Warriors characters are in this story? Yeah, cuz this is not Warriors!  
**

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Chapter 8: Goldenpaw

"From now on, until you have gotten your warrior name, you shall be known as Goldenpaw. Your mentor will be Sunstreak," declared Miststar, beckoning for a golden tabby tom to come forth, "Sunstreak. You are courageous and wise. Share your knowledge with Goldenpaw and make her a warrior that StormClan will be proud of."

Goldenpaw excitedly licked Sunstreak's shoulder as the Clan chanted their names.

"Goldenpaw! Falconpaw! Blizzardpaw! Fawnpaw! Honeypaw!" Narrowing her eyes, she searched the crowd for one face. Brackenkit. Her brother had to stay in the nursery, because Silversmoke, the medicine cat noticed that he was deaf. Luckily for him, Brackenkit had been taught to lip-read and he was chanting their names to the best of his ability, As soon as the chanting stopped, the calico apprentice hopped down from the Mountain Rock (a large rock that was often used as climbing practice for the apprentices) and went and met Brackenkit. Her sister Honeypaw also padded up.

Brackenkit, you'll be with us soon enough, Goldenpaw mouthed encouragingly. Honeypaw pressed her flank against his comfortingly. Brackenkit nodded and slunk back to the nursery, his tail drooping. Honeypaw sighed.

"I wish StarClan would do something about his deafness!" exclaimed Honeypaw angrily. Goldenpaw brushed her tail along Honeypaw's smooth golden brown pelt.

"Come on! Let's go learn some hunting moves!" enthused Goldenpaw. Honeypaw looked unsure, but she followed all the same. They passed Blizzardpaw and Falconpaw helping out at the elder's den. Goldenpaw mewed in greeting and Blizzardpaw made a face at her.

"Cleaning out the elder's den stinks! Literally!" Goldenpaw brushed her tail sympathetically across Blizzardpaw's shoulder as the white apprentice grumpily went back to work. They met Sunstreak and Ripplebrook at the fresh kill pile, and they were waiting patiently for the two of them. Goldenpaw gave her chest a couple of embarrassed licks. Ripplebrook beckoned them forward. Goldenpaw hung back, not sure whether to obey the tortoiseshell and white warrior. Sunstreak raised an eyebrow revealing piercing amber eyes.

"Well, Goldenpaw? What are you waiting for? Come on!" prompted Sunstreak. They led the two apprentices out to the forest where they were to practice tracking.

"Now Goldenpaw, and Honeypaw. I want you to practice scenting prey and tracing its trail. If you fail to do this, then it is mere luck, not skill if you catch anything," instructed Ripplebrook. Sunstreak nodded, approving what she said. Goldenpaw tasted the air. There was a jumble of scents, and Goldenpaw found it hard to separate them. She shook her head frustratedly. Her mentor seemed to sense it and he padded over.

"Overwhelmed?" inquired the golden tabby. Goldenpaw nodded. Sunstreak then tasted the air himself.

"You smell the scent that seems to twine around the tree? That's thrush. The one on the ground that's kind of sharp is mouse. Mouse is very common around here so you should be able to track it down in no time. The other scents are just those of the forest. With enough experience, you will be able to set aside those. Now, try stalking the mouse," he encouraged. As Sunstreak stepped back, Goldenpaw saw the little thing nibbling at some grass. She bounded forward, but the mouse sensed her immediately. She pricked her ears up and followed in the chase for prey.

At one point, to Goldenpaw's horror, she didn't know where she was. The stupid mouse had led her to unknown territory, but she knew it was StormClan. There was forest around her, but she had never ventured there and all the scents of cats were stale. Tasting the sweet forest air to follow her scent trail back, she came across a weird scent. It wasn't cat for sure, and it definitely wasn't mouse or thrush. Just as Goldenpaw was beginning to think that it was normal forest scent, a low growl sounded. Blood rushed to the calico cat's ears as she sprang away.

She knew that scent too well.

Her father had died from it when she was only three moons old.

DOG!

Goldenpaw dashed back to camp, and ran straight into Honeypaw. Without pausing to apologize, she sprinted to Sunstreak. He glanced up from his squirrel.

"Did you get the mouse? Or have you returned for advice on how to catch mice properly?" he teased. Goldenpaw shook her head vigorously.

"No! NO! There's a dog scent!" she shrieked. Sunstreak's smile faded and his eyes grew wide.

"What?! Go alert Miststar right away!" he ordered.

"Alert me about what?" asked a calm voice from behind them. Goldenpaw scented her real mother immediately.

"There'sadogscentnearthecamp!" squealed Goldenpaw without taking a breath. Miststar's eyes grew wide.

"No!Not Finchfeather!" she muttered almost to herself. Goldenpaw felt tears coming to her eyes at the mention of her father's name. Miststar was stuck in the past, and she needed to get her back.

"Finchfeather is DEAD. You need to move on. Unless you want more warriors with StarClan, you need to do something now," Goldenpaw meowed firmly. Miststar's teeth were bared in anger, but she soon relaxed.

"Lighningflash! Get a fighting patrol ready this instant! There's a dog loose in the forest!" she ordered. Lightningflash appeared instantly, with Hailthorn and Flaredust. He nodded to Sunstreak and Goldenpaw, beckoning them to join. Goldenpaw glanced hesitantly at the bright orange tabby. Lightningflash nodded.

"You'll lead us there. You're one brave apprentice, Goldenpaw. We trust you to lead us to the dog. But, by no means should you fight it," he instructed. The fighting patrol left immediately, while Goldenpaw retraced her path on the mouse chase. Sunstreak was at her side, protecting her from any harm just like a true warrior. To Goldenpaw's amazement, the deputy could easily sense the dog, fox-lengths away from the actual spot that she had sensed. Then, a low growl sounded. It was the exact same as the other one she had heard. Goldenpaw's blood turned to ice, and she froze. Right in front of them was a massive dog, teeth bared, with blood and drool dripping down, spoiling the soft, squishy forest floor.

"Leave," hissed Lightningflash to her, "We'll take care of it. You mustn't die. Tell Miststar we found the dog and-" Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a roar and the dog leapt onto Hailthorn. The fighting took off from that and Goldenpaw fled, not looking behind even once.

"Goldenpaw! What happened?" asked Miststar, worry clouding her face.

"We found the dog, and the patrol is dealing with it. Nobody has died yet," she reported, voice trembling. Miststar beckoned her to go to the medicine cat's den.

"No! I'm fine! We should save the medicine for the wounded cats that come back!" protested Goldenpaw. Miststar shook her head, and lead her to the sweet-smelling den, thick with the scent of herbs.

"I've lost a mate, had a kit that cannot hear, and now I will not take any risks with you!" Miststar meowed fiercely. A silver tabby with clear blue eyes padded up. She smiled sweetly.

"Come on Goldenpaw. All hurt cats should be helped," she coaxed. Goldenpaw immediately fell for her coaxing and lay down on a piece of feather-soft moss. Silversmoke's scent was soft and calming.

"Thyme for shock," she whispered, holding a leaf in front of Goldenpaw. The calico apprentice licked it up, along with a couple poppy seeds. Goldenpaw felt Silversmoke lick her ear, and she tried to fall asleep, only to be woken up by the vibration of paws. Barely knowing it, a body was placed beside her. She heard the growl of Lightningflash and snapped to attention when he meowed:

"Hailthorn is dead."


	10. 9- Ivypaw

**This is the third round of POVs! Yay! Let's all eat cake!  
**

**I don't have too many more chapters to post until I actually have to start writing more... I am enjoying my days of laziness.  
**

**Pleeeeeease review and follow!  
**

**Disclaimer- I DON'T own Warriors.  
**

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Chapter 9: Ivypaw

Ivypaw crouched down in the tall grass, her eyes and ears fixed on the squirrel at the base of the tree. She slowly crept nearer and nearer, until it was almost under her paws. Ivypaw lifted one paw to deliver a death blow to the unsuspecting squirrel.

"IVYPAW!" A red-brown blur leaped out of the bushes and slammed into the other apprentice, sending them both tumbling over.

"Cherrypaw!" Ivypaw spat. "That squirrel was practically in my mouth and you scared it away!" The tortoiseshell apprentice shoved her friend off of her and gazed up at the tree, where she could see a climbing chattering squirrel, unaware of its close call with death.

"Sorry, Ivypaw," Cherrypaw had the decency to look ashamed, though the apology didn't go very well with her happy expression. "But guess what?! Indigoshade told me that Foxtail spoke to Fernstar about us going to the Gathering. AND SHE SAID YES!" Cherrypaw did a kind of happy dance all around the woods. Ivypaw stared at her,

"Really?" she squeaked. "Foxtail recommended us? And I don't even have a squirrel to thank him with!" But Ivypaw no longer really cared about the squirrel.

"Are Sparkpaw and Mudpaw coming?" she asked. "I hope Sorrelpaw isn't!"

"I don't know," replied Cherrypaw. "Let's go back to the camp and see." The two apprentices bounded off, side by side until they reached the underground tunnel that indicated their camp.

"Move your butt!" meowed Ivypaw irritably, for Cherrypaw's lower half of the body was poking down into the tunnel as she struggled to get out. That was the problem with the tunnel - it always caused a blockup at the other end, when the cats all tried to burst into camp at once.

"Move your face!" retorted Cherrypaw, but she scrabbled for a hold on the dusty ground and hoisted herself out. Ivypaw followed and made a beeline for the apprentice's den. Pushing aside the bushes, they burst into the apprentice den to find Sparkpaw and Mudpaw talking in whispers,

"Oh, it's you," remarked Mudpaw, looking relieved. "We were just wondering if Sorrelpaw is going to the Gathering."

"Are you?" Cherrypaw asked him.

"Yes," Mudpaw replied, "But poor Sparkpaw isn't. He made a big mistake when he was on elder duty and told old Hollybreath she could clean her own den right under Greycloud's nose!"Mudpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"Well, Hollybreath was asking for it," hissed Sparkpaw furiously, "The furball actually told me she would be keeping an eye on me. When I asked why, she said she knew that I was putting fleas into her fresh moss on purpose!"

Ivypaw and Cherrypaw purred with amusement as Sorrelpaw came bursting into the apprentice den.

"Guess who's going to the Gathering!" she meowed ecstatically. Ivypaw, Cherrypaw, and Mudpaw groaned. Sparkpaw looked much happier.

"Have fun with her!" he meowed gleefully.

Ivypaw skidded to a halt at the edge of the forest. Beyond the treeline she could see a circle of white birch trees, their branches stretching toward the sky while around them milled cats of all different Clans.

"Wow," whispered Cherrypaw softly. "All those cats! And I thought that RainClan had a ton of cats." Ivypaw nodded and followed her mother (Fernstar) into the circle, in which a huge smooth rock jutted out from the hard, dirt-packed ground. Before leaping onto the rock along with the other leaders, Fernstar leaned towards Ivypaw and hissed:

"Stay with RainClan always. DO NOT go talk with other apprentices from different Clans. Stay with RainClan!" Ivypaw cast a doubtful glance at the white and brown she-cat before scurrying off to meet Cherrypaw who was several mouse-lengths away. Cherrypaw had taken no notice that she was gone, and thankfully didn't question Ivypaw. Instead, she started ranting on about what Rabbittail had told her about the Gathering. Ivypaw scarcely heard it. She was too busy staring at the BreezeClan, FogClan and StormClan cats. Her mind was also buzzing with questions.

Why are the BreezeClan cats so lean? And why are the StormClan cats so muscular? And why do the FogClan cats have such soft pads? And WHY do none of them have water-sleek pelts?

"Um, are you okay?" asked Cherrypaw, looking concerned. "You looked a little bit dizzy for a heartbeat."

"I'm fine," stammered Ivypaw. "Come on, let's go meet up with Mudpaw; he's over there with all those BreezeClan cats." As they made their way toward Mudpaw, Ivypaw whispered, "All these cats are so different from Rainclan! They don't have water-proof fur or smell like fish!"

"Yeah!"agreed Cherrypaw under her breath, "They smell so …exotic." They were shouldered aside by a large orange StormClan tom. "Wow!" whispered Cherrypaw, "That must be Lightningflash, StormClan's deputy! Sparkpaw talks about him all the time!"

"Whoa," gasped Ivypaw softly. All these intimidating cats were making her head hurt. Right then, one of the leaders -"that must be Jaggedstar!" whispered Cherrypaw- bounded onto the rock and yowled loudly.

"We are wasting Moonlight! Let the Gathering start!" At once, all the cats fell silent and Jaggedstar proceeded in speaking the news of FogClan. Squinting, she could barely make out a grey tabby, who looked no older than a newly made apprentice, inching away from Jaggedstar, as if he was breaking a rule by doing so. Ivypaw's ears pricked up. He must have had the same instructions about staying near your leader!

"-And we are pleased to welcome Swiftpaw-" the grey apprentice stopped moving and raised his head, "Emberpaw, Cloverpaw and Icepaw to the apprentice's den," concluded Jaggedstar. "And as a further note, the prey on the RainClan border is running low. Our kits are weak and scrawny, and our warriors are exhausted from hunting so often yet finding so little. We would appreciate it if RainClan," the black tom dipped his head towards Fernstar, "would be so kind as to let us hunt on their territory for as long as necessary." Fernstar looked outraged.

"NEVER!" she spat, "RainClan territory belongs to RainClan and RainClan only! Go hunt on your StormClan border for all we care! RainClan has not shared their territory for years and is not going to start now." Ivypaw was shocked at her mother's hostility. She had never seen Fernstar like this; her back arched, fur bristling, and teeth bared. Jaggedstar narrowed his eyes at her.

"Then I'm afraid FogClan will have to do things their own way," he decided, every word tense. Never had Ivypaw listened to a louder silence. Suddenly, a darkness enveloped them all. Ashstar looked up and his green eyes filled with worry.

"The Gathering has come to an end! StarClan has covered the moon!" shouted another voice, which Ivypaw recognized as Miststar, leader of StormClan. Ivypaw growled in annoyance. Why did StarClan make my first gathering so bad? she wondered. Ivypaw pushed her way through the crowd of cats, not paying particular attention to where she was going until she stumbled into a certain grey tabby apprentice.


	11. 10-Swift paw

**Chapter 10 up! Yeah, it has been a while since I posted a chapter (as in a few days).  
**

**I have five more chapters to post until I have to stop being lazy and start writing more. **

**Just to remind you people, my friend flashfire11 wrote this with me! Check out her profile**

**~flashfire11**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Last time I checked, I'm not four people. **

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Chapter 10: Swiftpaw

"Well, that was… different," meowed Emberpaw lamely. The FogClan cats were getting ready to leave from the Gathering. Jaggedstar was at the front of the group. His black fur was ruffled and his amber eyes had a sinister light in them. Swiftpaw was proud of his father's bravery, but this was more like arrogance. "Are you alright?" asked Emberpaw, looking at him closely. "You keep looking at your father weirdly."

"I'm fine," protested Swiftpaw hurriedly and looking away. "I'm fine," he repeated, more to himself. They shoved their way toward the edge of Birch Circle, going faster now, for FogClan was beginning to leave.

"Come on," meowed Emberpaw anxiously,"or they'll leave without us!" The light grey tom put on a burst of speed and disappeared into the mass of cats.

"Wait up!" Swiftpaw called, and tried to keep up, stumbling into a RainClan cat in the process. She fell down with a surprised meow.

"Sorry!" Swiftpaw stopped to help her up, ignoring the steady stream of cats jostling him, and found himself face to face with his reflection, if his reflection had been a tortoiseshell and a she-cat. But other than that, everything was the same, right down to their eyes, which were the same mixture of green and gold. His expression of puzzlement was even reflected in her face, too, before her tabby friend pushed her forward. Swiftpaw kept going, full of bewilderment at this strange meeting. He bounded out of Birch Circle and hurried towards the disappearing FogClan cats, stopping once to look back. The last thing he saw before plunging into the forest after his Clan was her tortoiseshell face, looking straight at him, and just as puzzled as he was.

"Swiftpaw, concentrate!" Swiftpaw fell sideways again as a frustrated Bravehawk roared, "Do you think a StormClan cat will give you time to get up? You need to concentrate."

"Sorry," mumbled Swiftpaw, embarrassed. He just couldn't stop thinking about the RainClan apprentice at the Gathering. She looked so familiar, like a friend that he'd had a long time ago. He scrambled to his feet again. Bravehawk sighed.

"Let's have you and Icepaw face each other again. Don't make it easy for him, Swiftpaw!" Icepaw's mentor, Hornetwing, was sick with whitecough, and Bravehawk had volunteered to train him for the day. Icepaw and Swiftpaw crouched across each other on either side of the clearing known as Scarlet's Clearing. It was surrounded by scarlet maple trees.

Suddenly Icepaw pounced. Off guard, Swiftpaw jumped, too, intending to meet him in midair and knock him off balance, but he pushed off too late. Icepaw crashed into him, his jump carrying him too far, and slid off of Swiftpaw's face. Immediately, Swiftpaw jumped to his feet and leapt onto Icepaw's back, clinging tight with his sheathed claws as Icepaw fought to shake him off. I've got him now, thought Swiftpaw, but just then Icepaw flipped over onto his back, slamming Swiftpaw into the soggy moss and knocking all the breath out of him. Gasping, Swiftpaw struggled for air, frantically kicking and clawing.

"Stop!" shouted Bravehawk, hurrying forward to part them. Icepaw jumped off, leaving a flattened Swiftpaw embedded in the ground. The apprentice slowly got up, choking. Bravehawk sighed again. "Swiftpaw," he began, " I think you're a little too distracted to continue lessons for the day. You and Icepaw should take a break and go hunting." Ignoring Swiftpaw's feeble argument, he turned to Icepaw. "Good job, Icepaw. You fought well today. We should see what you two look like when Swiftpaw is on form. He is a good fighter, usually." Bravehawk shot a look at Swiftpaw, who hung his head. "Bring back some prey." Bravehawk plunged through trees, heading back towards the camp. Icepaw padded over to Swiftpaw.

"What's up with you?" He sounded concerned. Swiftpaw shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Well, come on, maybe a good fresh snake or a lizard will cheer you up." Swiftpaw nodded and followed Icepaw into the woods. They headed further and further in, not saying much but catching nearly all the prey in the woods and marsh. When they reached the RainClan border, Icepaw stopped.

"I didn't think we would be in a fight so soon," he whispered quietly. Swiftpaw looked up in alarm.

"A fight?!" he meowed. "Why do you think that?"

"Did you see Jaggedstar's face? 'I'm afraid FogClan will have to do things their own way,'" Icepaw mimicked. As usual, his skill was uncanny, and in spite of his mood, Swiftpaw laughed. Icepaw always used to mimic their sister and mother in the nursery. Swiftpaw thought it was funnier when he mimicked them and not him.

"He means to attack RainClan, Swiftpaw, I'm sure of it. Don't get me wrong, I love our father, but I think that this is a little bit … rash." Swiftpaw nodded. Then the full impact of Icepaw's words hit him.

"He can't attack RainClan! That's where the apprentice lives!" Swiftpaw burst out, his mind on the tortoiseshell she-cat. Icepaw looked at him strangely.

"What apprentice?"

"Oh, just this…cat I met at this…Gathering. Anyway, we should be getting back, they'll wonder where we are," Swiftpaw finished hurriedly. Icepaw was still staring suspiciously at him, but padded over and unburied his prey. As they headed back to the camp, Icepaw meowed,

"You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." Swiftpaw nodded gratefully and pressed his flank against his brothers.

"Thanks, Icepaw."


	12. 11-Flashpaw

**I know, I know... I haven't updated in a long time *author ducks as readers start throwing tomatoes * **

**Sorry...**

**And I really would like to see more reviews :( I'm not getting many at all.**

** *looks up with adorable puppy eyes***

**Just to remind you people, my friend flashfire11 wrote chapter (it is her OC) Check out her profile. SHE IS AN AMAZING WRITER!**

**~flashfire11**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. I'm not saying anything else this time. I - don't - own - Warriors. **

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Chapter 11: Flashpaw

"Good job, Flashpaw," meowed Dawnlight approvingly. "You've really progressed these past couple of days." Flashpaw straightened up proudly. The sun beamed weakly through the hazy clouds, lighting up the Training Field and the other apprentice's pelts, making them blaze copper, chocolate, gold, and midnight. "In fact," Dawnlight informed, "I've asked Ashstar about giving you and the other apprentices solo tasks, and he's agreed! And no, that doesn't mean that you are becoming warriors anytime soon. You still have a lot more to learn," She added sharply, seeing the hopeful look on Flashpaw's face that dispersed quickly. Flashpaw suppressed a sigh. Dawnlight seemed like a good mentor, but she seemed to ignore how eager he was to learn. But, he knew better than to argue.

"Dawnlight, can I just go roaming around the territory for a bit? I need a break from training," asked Flashpaw. He expected Dawnlight to break out in a string of furious arguments, but she just nodded like she understood.

"Of course. You have my permission to eat while you're at it too. We all have days where we are tired. Make sure you're back in time for your solo task. Just take it easy," she meowed and padded off to join Robinpaw's training. Flashpaw sighed in delight. One entire day free! And he didn't even have to bring back prey! He scampered off towards the StormClan border happily,

Sniffing the air, he smelled the unmistakable scent of rabbit. It was all around him, and there was a mouse or two as well. He crouched down, and shot after a tiny, but grown up grey rabbit which was fleeing from him as fast as lightning. But Flashpaw was faster. Dawnlight's annoying laps around the moor helped. He caught up to the rabbit, and nipped it's spine to get it to stop moving. Then, he slashed its neck and it died. Even though it was a small rabbit, Flashpaw was only able to eat half of it before feeling stuffed. Kicking up a patch of moorland, he buried the remains to eat on the way back.

As Flashpaw strolled onwards, he was in awe. Dawnlight had not yet shown him a tour of the territory so he was fascinated by the sheer size of it.

And the other clans call moorland boring! This should show those narrow minded jerks! he scoffed. Lots of time passed, and it was sun-high by the time that Flashpaw reached Breezestar's Gorge. Breezestar was a WindClan cat and one of the four leaders that broke off from those Clans and made these. Somewhere, WindClan, ShadowClan, ThunderClan and RiverClan were surviving, but Breezestar played an enormous role in the making of Flashpaw's home. Then, when Breezestar, Fogstar, Rainstar and Stormstar were all in StarClan and the Clans had to migrate, it was Breezestar who warned the Clans about this gorge and instructed them how to cross it. So, it was only right that BreezeClan claimed the gorge as their own. The gorge was pretty much impossible to cross except for one point, called Breezestar's Breach that the leaping distance was fairly narrow, but only experienced warriors were allowed to try, even though Flashpaw was sure he could do it if he tried. It wouldn't hurt just to see it, he thought, and set off alongside the gorge. Eventually the sturdy moorland gave way to crumbly red rock. Flashpaw curiously kicked a chunk of it into the gorge and counted 20 heartbeats before he heard the answering splash. He shuddered and kept padding along it. Soon he came to Breezestar's Breach. A narrow shelf of moorland jutted out a little farther than the rest, making the jump shorter, but still testing the capabilities of the cat's. Flashpaw cautiously walked onto it and peered over the edge. Far, far down he could make out rolling, dark blue waves capped with snow-white crests of foam. The river frothed angrily and crashed against the jagged sunburnt walls of the gorge like it was trying to escape its prison. Suddenly, an excited voice behind him shouted,

"Hey, Flashpaw!" Flashpaw almost fell off the edge. Balancing himself, he whipped around and glared at the source of the noise.

"Don't do that, Ravenpaw! You almost made me fall over the edge!" Ravenpaw looked sheepishly up at him.

"Sorry! Dawnlight wants you back at the Training Field. We're going to have our first solo task!" Ravenpaw wriggled with excitement. Flashpaw shook his head in mock exasperation and followed Ravenpaw back to the Training Field. When he bounded in, Copperfire, Robinpaw's mentor, looked up.

"There they are! Come here, you two. I'm explaining everything." Flashpaw and Ravenpaw joined Robinpaw and their mentors. "As I was saying, you will go to your specific area and hunt for prey there. We will all be watching you, so act carefully! Jayfrost will now tell you where to hunt." The grey and white tom stepped forward.

"Ravenpaw, you will hunt along the northern part of Breezestar's Gorge. Robinpaw, you can go along the RainClan border, near the river. Flashpaw, you can try next to the StormClan border, on the other side of Breezestar's Gorge." The apprentices all nodded importantly and sprang away in different directions. Flashpaw sighed. He'd just been there! The ginger apprentice ran south, where Breezestar's Gorge sloped down and became just a river. There were some crossing points if you knew where to look. It was a bright day and the sun was shining pleasantly on Flashpaw's fur. He hoped that his solo task results would be as pleasing as the weather. Then he could see the river, no longer looking angry but peaceful and friendly, sparkling under the sun. There was a fallen log - Flashpaw could see it already - that BreezeClan had used for generations to get across the river. He padded up to it and cautiously stepped onto the log. Its surface was smooth, the bark long stripped away, and Flashpaw had to dig his claws into the wood. It was also slippery from the constant spray of water. Carefully he made his way across, inch by inch, until he was close enough to jump onto the bank.

Flashpaw kept going. He was close to StormClan territory now. Suddenly, his body went stock still and he crouched down. There! A couple fox-lengths away was a rabbit, it's nose twitching. Too bad it was so close to StormClan border. Slowly Flashpaw crept towards it, his mouth watering. All of a sudden, the rabbit sprang away. Flashpaw leapt after it confused. He hadn't moved! Then he saw what had disturbed the rabbit - a dark shadow hidden beneath a bush. Before he could cry out, the shadow pounced and killed the rabbit as it was passing by. Flashpaw marched up to the StormClan cat. She was about his age, an apprentice, and was a calico with bright gold patches. Her eyes were exactly like his.

"Could I have my rabbit, please?" he asked, his voice cold. The apprentice snarled.

"Excuse me, but I'm pretty sure that I killed the rabbit. Even more, I killed it on StormClan territory."

"No, it was killed on BreezeClan territory, you prey-thief! You are on BreezeClan territory! Better run off before a patrol catches you," Flashpaw taunted. The apprentice swiped a paw at him- and missed.

"It was StormClan prey! It isn't easy catching a rabbit, and my mentor needs to see that I did!" she argued coolly.

"You didn't do anything fascinating. That rabbit basically ran into your paws! A kit could've caught it!"

"Are you calling me a kit? Well, I wonder what they teach BreezeClan kits, because in StormClan, all kits know to stay on StormClan territory," the apprentice hissed. Flashpaw shook his head. He didn't want to argue. He just wanted the stupid rabbit!

"Lets be done. Give me the rabbit and get off my territory," demanded Flashpaw.

"You get you and your stinking body off the StormClan territory! This is my rabbit- end of story," grumbled the apprentice.

"What's going on here, Goldenpaw? And who is this? Flashpaw? From BreezeClan?" meowed a deep voice. Flashpaw looked up in alarm, to see a golden tabby pad up to the two apprentices.

"Well Sunstreak, I killed this rabbit, and Flashpaw, if that's his name, is accusing me of killing this rabbit because he thinks it is BreezeClan prey!" complained Goldenpaw. Sunstreak nodded, in deep thought.

"Where was the prey, Flashpaw, when Goldenpaw killed it?" he questioned. Flashpaw thought back to the bush where Goldenpaw hid in. The rabbit had been a tail-length away from it. Padding over, he prodded the earth where he had last seen it. The rabbit scent was strong there, and there was a mingled scent of life and death there too.

"This is it," he concluded, confidently. Sunstreak's eyes flitted in a line from where he was to where Flashpaw was standing.

"Goldenpaw, you caught BreezeClan prey. That was rightfully on BreezeClan territory. But," Sunstreak added before Flashpaw could throw a triumphant look at Goldenpaw, "When you were arguing, you both were on StormClan territory." Flashpaw was stunned. What would his parents and Dawnlight say they he knew that he had trespassed? Goldenpaw looked furious at herself, too.

"Flashpaw, I cannot promise that I won't tell Miststar that you were on StormClan territory. However, I will mention that it was because you were chasing prey that had been caught by another cat." Sunstreak turned to Goldenpaw. "Come, we should get back to the camp." He turned and disappeared between the bushes. Goldenpaw grudgingly dropped the rabbit at Flashpaw's feet.

"Happy now?" she meowed scathingly, glaring at him. Then her eyes furrowed thoughtfully, looking him up and down.

"What? asked Flashpaw. " Trying to find something else to blame me for?" Goldenpaw shook her head slightly, still looking thoughtfully at him.

"You look…sort of…familiar. Never mind." She turned away from him and followed Sunstreak. Flashpaw shook his head and picked up the rabbit. Heading back toward the fallen tree to bury the rabbit for later (there was still time to catch more), he realized that, surprisingly, he knew what she meant. In some strange way, she looked sort of familiar, too.

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